The Pack: Part One
by bla338
Summary: "How can you be sorry when you went behind my back and cheated on me? I thought you loved me; I thought we had something... I guess I was wrong." A Jacob/OC fic
1. Chapter 1

_Life used to be simple. Men and women lived amongst each other in perfect harmony, people did not use more than what they needed, and people loved for one another as if their lives depended on it. But that was back before even your great-great-grandfathers walked the Earth; it was when the Pack was whole._

Asha walked forward a couple of steps before sniffing the air. Her brown eyes scanned the rocky terrain in front of her before she turned to face her pack mates. Each of them gave her looks filled with hope which only caused her to stand taller. She had been given the name Asha meaning hope because of her ability to lift even the lowest of spirits, and now was her time to prove it.

"Our answer lies beyond these mountains," she called out to her pack. "We have only a week's journey before we make it to the Quileute tribe."

Immediately, her sister, Neima, stepped forward. "Asha, are you certain that this pack is the one?" Neima spoke quietly as to not worry her pack mates. A worried pack is a more vulnerable pack.

"I know this pack is young, but–"

"They're only pups!"

"–I think they are the ones our ancestors told us to seek." Asha placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Neima, trust me. Trust our ancestors."

Neima lowered her eyes to the ground in submission to show her apology for doubting her Alpha which only encouraged Asha to wrap her arms around Neima in a comforting embrace. "Do not worry," Asha whispered. "When we reach tribal ground, we will give the pack knowledge and in return they will give us safety."

"I trust you, sister," Neima replied, but this time loud enough for her pack to hear as well.

"We trust you, sister," they called out.

Asha smiled in gratitude at the wolves assembled before her. "We have a long journey to make. We will go through these mountains in our human forms. Though we will be slower in human form, we will also be able to move more easily which will make up for the time we lost at Yellowstone."

Neima muttered a small prayer in Latin before grasping her sister's hand tightly. "_Dii vigilaret super nos et det nobis fidem_; May the gods watch over us and protect us." Asha repeated the words quietly, and together the pack began to move forward each of them hoping that their ancestors were correct to lead them here.

* * *

><p><em>Jacob was confused and lost. One second he was on his sofa watching TV and the next he was sitting next to a camp fire somewhere in the mountains. Eight people were lying in various positions around him obviously asleep while one of the girls was awake and sitting across from him. Without having to ask he knew these people were a wolf pack, and he also knew that this had to be a dream.<em>

"_Hello, Jacob," she spoke cautiously as if she wasn't too sure this was real as well. "I am Asha, and I am the Alpha of this pack."_

"_Oh." Smooth, Jacob, real smooth. "Is this a dream?" Even smoother._

"_I don't know. When I asked our ancestors to allow me to contact you, I did not think this was how they were going to do it." Asha nervously ran a hand through her black hair. "My pack was told by the ancestors to come to La Push and warn you of the Great War that is about to happen. We are traveling through the mountains to meet you; we should arrive in a week."_

"_Wait, there's a Great War?" Jacob seemed baffled. Not only was a smoking hot Alpha Female talking to him, but now she was bringing with her some sort of prophecy. Oh, this was definitely a dream._

"_I will have Aden and Antaeus tell you and your pack about the war when we arrive. Right now we have more important things to discuss."_

_Jacob shifted awkwardly from his spot on the ground. "Who are Aden and Antaeus?"_

"_They are the storytellers of my pack." Asha motioned towards a sleeping male and female who could've appeared to be twins. "The girl sleeping closest to my body is Neima; she is my sister and my Beta. Her name means strength. Next to her are Kato and his 9 year old son Bali. Kato means wise and Bali means mighty warrior. Amory is next. His name means brave; he is the youngest in the pack after Bali. Last is Dilwyn whose name means truth."_

"_My Pack is only two members bigger than yours." Jacob noted._

_Asha nodded her head. "The ancestors showed us your pack in a dream." The she-wolf closed her eyes slowly before reopening them. "I think maybe we should move deeper into the mountains to try and make a path. It would make our journey easier and faster."_

_Together the two alphas began to move through the mountains working in a comfortable silence. The pair climbed over large rocks, leapt down small cliffs, and moved closer and closer to Quileute land. Jacob moved slightly slower than Asha allowing her to take the lead, a sign of respect that was not lost on the Alpha Female._

"Jacob_." Seth's voice ripped through the dream causing the air to shimmer. Jacob's eyes drifted upwards for a moment looking for the source of the voice. "Jacob_, wake up, man_." Asha smiled reassuringly at the confused boy._

"_It is only your pack mate calling your soul back to your body." She placed two fingers on his forehead. "Return to your body, Jacob Black, and tell your Elders and your Pack about my arrival. Tell them we bring good and bad news."_

* * *

><p>Jacob stood in front of his father with his head down while the members of the council and the members of the Pack watched. He knew that explaining his dream to Billy would be hard and that there was a high chance no one would believe him, yet Asha had faith in the council so Jacob would too.<p>

Billy sighed as he looked at his son, and Seth stood taller by his Alpha's side ready to defend at a moment's notice.

"Jacob," Billy spoke slowly as if he was talking to a child, "are you sure this wasn't just another dream caused by your over active imagination?" Jacob didn't respond, and Billy sighed once again. "I think you need to rest."

"But Asha said–"

"_Enough_ with this talk about Asha and prophecies," Billy spoke loudly causing Jacob to whimper. "If Asha is real, then I need proof. We will wait a week, and if she does not come I will not hear anymore of this nonsense."

"What if she does come?" Jacob challenged suddenly growing bolder. "Do you promise to help house her pack and welcome her as one of our own?"

Sue Clearwater stood up quickly and tightly grasped Billy's arm. "Billy, I do not know if we can trust _dreams_." Sue whispered harshly fully aware that the Pack could hear every word that fell from her lips. "How can we be sure?"

"We cannot be sure," Billy replied calmly. "Asha claims that the ancestors are guiding her, and if this is true we need to put trust in the Alpha Female and we need to put even more trust in our ancestors. Q'wati himself could be sending her these messages."

"And what if it is Bayaq that is sending her the messages? For all we know she could be running on a wild goose chase that the trickster himself is navigating." Sue cried.

"Q'wati would not have allowed it to go on for as long as it has if Bayaq was leading Asha." Billy responded. "I put faith in my ancestors, Sue; it is time for you do the same."

Sue frowned but returned to her seat. She was feeling uneasy about this mysterious Alpha Female and the news she had to bring. Asha seemed like something a teenage shape-shifter would make up for attention; in fact, Sue was certain it was for attention. She refused to believe in this foolishness, but the boy seemed to have convinced the Pack _and_ the chief. The councilwoman decided she would wait a week, and proudly brag about how she was right when the mysterious Asha did not show.

Jacob smiled thankfully at his father. The Alpha would spend every moment in his dreams with Asha trying to find easier paths that will lead her pack to La Push even faster. He needed her to come, so he could prove that she wasn't a figment of his imagination.

"Jacob, are you positive you didn't dream this?" Leah whispered as the Pack walked out of the meeting. The she-wolf seemed to be contemplating something. "If you didn't, than you realize that we will probably end up fighting in a Pack War."

"What makes you say that, Lee-Lee?" Seth asked moving in closer to his sister. He didn't _think_ that the Alpha Female was coming to ask them to fight in a war, but Leah's suggestion made sense. After all, Jacob mentioned that Asha was bringing good _and_ bad news.

"It's because I mentioned that Asha said something about a Great War going on." Jacob muttered. Seth watched as the Alpha mentally cursed himself for skipping over a detail that big. "She's probably going to ask us to help."

"C'mon Jake," Seth cried. "Have a little faith in your pack."

"He's worried about us, Seth," Leah scolded.

"Leah's right. I don't want you guys to get hurt. We've never fought another wolf pack before."

Jacob folded his muscular arms across his chest. This whole Alpha thing was harder than it looked. He wanted to help Asha, but not if it was going to place his Pack in danger. Yet he couldn't help the feeling that Asha could help the tribe understand so much more about shape-shifting.

"But Asha could teach us," Seth mumbled. "Jake even said that Asha spoke as if she was centuries old instead of in her twenties."

"She didn't look old," Jacob commented. "In fact, none of them looked that old, but then again wolves don't age while they're phasing. For all we know, they could be centuries old." Leah snorted in disgust while Seth only turned thoughtful. "How do we know this Great War hasn't been going on for centuries? And if it has, how come we're just now hearing about it?"

Leah waved her hand half-heartedly to dismiss her Alpha's questions. "I want to know why there are more girl wolves out there, and I didn't find out until now. Where were they?"

"Maybe they were fighting in the war," Seth suggested shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "If the war has been going on for a while then there's a good chance that all the wolves were too busy fighting to bother notifying us until now."

"Seth has a point," Jake noted. "None of them would think to notify a pack of wolves that haven't even reached the age thirty to fight. They probably thought it would be too much of an issue to risk the lives of such young wolves."

Seth nodded his head enthusiastically. "But we're going to fight now, right?"

"Hold your horses," Leah butted in. "We can't just rush out there without knowing the situation. Are we even sure that we _want_ to side with Asha? I know that she's a pretty nice chic and all, but I'm not sure if her views on the world are going to match our views on the world."

"What's wrong Leah, are you scared she's going to cancel out your rank as top dog around here?" Seth teased.

"Shut up, pup," Leah responded not noticing the Alpha roll his eyes. "She's the Alpha Female of her pack, but she also acts as the Alpha Male since they don't have a male wolf strong enough to take the job. Of course, she's going to cancel out my rank as top dog. She might even cancel out Jake's rank."

Jacob nodded his head in agreement not really listening to what was being said.

"Jacob is always going to be top dog." Seth dismissed claim with an eye roll. "I would love to meet an Alpha Male that's stronger than Jake."

"Careful what you wish for, Seth," Jacob scolded his Beta. "If we end up fighting in this war, then we might actually meet an Alpha Male that's stronger than me. He might even be the wolf that kills you." The Beta whimpered apologetically and lowered his head in submission. "Don't underestimate anyone."

Leah wrapped an arm around her brother's shoulders. "Mom seems really upset about the whole situation, huh?" She seemed eager to move away from the topic of Alpha Males.

"You can understand why," Jacob muttered. "After all, people dream stuff all time. I'm not even sure if there really is an Alpha Female out there in those mountains."

"But if there is than there are probably more wolves out there as well, right Jake?" Seth added suddenly growing more enthusiastic.

"Not all of them are going to be good wolves, little brother," Leah mentioned. "Don't go around trusting every wolf you meet unless you want to end up like Little Red Riding Hood."

"What ever happened at the end of that story?" Jake asked changing the topic of conversation once again.

* * *

><p>Asha smiled at Bali as the young boy walked next to his father listening intently to the story he told. Kato cared deeply for his son and thought it was important for Bali to hear the stories of the many hunting trips Kato had been on. Of course, Kato didn't only tell stories of hunting animals like deer and buffalo. Kato prided himself in telling the stories of the many Cold Ones that his family had killed before he joined Asha's pack.<p>

Bali jumped as Kato roared loudly to imitate the sound of a lion that he hunted when he was younger. Asha found herself smiling even wider, and Kato winked at the Alpha Female before returning to the story.

"The kid really looks up to his dad." Amory noted as he plopped down next to Asha. The two of them watched Bali and Kato for a moment. "Sometimes I wish my dad could've done stuff with me, but he had a village to help run, and was far too busy sorting things out with the Great War."

Asha nodded her head in agreement before resting her head on Amory's shoulder. "But you grew up with me, so it wasn't like you were completely alone. I understand that I couldn't fill the void, but Bali doesn't have friends his age."

"Sometimes I wonder if Aden made the right choice when she chose to take Bali with her on this journey." Amory sighed. "I know she wanted Bali to be with Kato and her when they settled in, but I feel like if I were her I would've left Bali with your grandmother and came back for him."

"After watching a small family of wolves die, you tend to grow protective of your pups." Asha stated. "She is uncomfortable with leaving Bali at the village alone when there are only three wolves there to protect it. If anything were to happen, how would she know if Bali is safe?"

Amory didn't have a response for that one, and he was sure he never would. But he looked at Bali as a younger brother and knowing that something as simple as a small slip down the mountain could end his life was enough to make Amory protective of the pup. Amory was always protective of his pack especially when it came to his Alpha, Asha.

* * *

><p><strong>Asha's Pack:<strong>

**Name-Rank Age (Meaning of Name)**

**Asha-Alpha age 24 (Hope)**

**Neima-Beta age 35 (Strength)**

**Aden-Bali's mother age 97 (Fiery One)**

**Antaeus-Aden's brother age somewhere around 200 our 150 (Invincible)**

**Kato-Bali's father age somewhere around 150 (Wise)**

**Bali-age 4 but appears to be 9 (Mighty warrior)**

**Amory-age 23 (Brave)**

**Dilwyn-age 40 (Truth)**

**R&R Please :) I love Reviews and critisism but no flames!**

**~B**


	2. Chapter 2

_Q'wati was walking through the woods when he came to the land of the Quileute. He saw two wolves and changed them into humans. One wolf was a male and the other wolf was a female. Together they had many babies that had the ability to shift from human to wolf. The two wolves created a council where they were the Great Alpha Male and the Great Alpha Female. Five females and five males made up the council each one being an Alpha Male and Alpha Female. The ten alphas worked together in perfect harmony listening to the Great Alpha Male and the Great Alpha Female._

Jacob paced the length of his room back and forth several times stopping only to stare out his window before resuming his nervous walk. It was exactly 12:34 in the morning and Jacob couldn't get to sleep. He knew that Asha was probably waiting for him and the thought only worried him even more. He needed to talk to the Alpha Female, but he couldn't possibly do that while he was conscious.

The Alpha let out a frustrated groan before flopping down on the bed ungracefully. He struggled to remember how he got to sleep so easily last time. The only thing he could think of was that he had simply been exhausted from the patrols he had run earlier. Once again, the Alpha was stumped.

"What do I do?" Jacob pondered aloud as he rolled over. His thoughts ran over his options, and the young wolf settled for curling up in a ball and focusing on relaxing his muscles.

"_Jacob," Asha's voice sounded light and teasing. "Did you have trouble falling asleep?" The Alpha Female smiled at the young wolf's blush that colored his cheeks._

"_Sorry to keep you waiting," Jacob apologized as he sat down next to Asha. He looked around before recognizing the cave that he had spotted when the two of them were making the path for Asha's pack. "I see you used the cave."_

"_Of course I did," Asha smiled at Jacob. "Why would you think I wouldn't? It is shelter, no?"_

_Jacob shrugged seemingly at a loss for words. Eventually he settled for smiling at the she-wolf and changing the subject. "I told my pack and the council about you coming in a week." Asha turned towards Jacob eager to hear the news. "At first my father – the chief – and several others were hesitant to believe me, but they eventually decided to give you a week to arrive."_

_Asha smiled suddenly feeling a surge of hope. "I have confidence that if we keep the pace we are moving we should arrive on time and maybe a little ahead of schedule." The Alpha Female leaned back against the cave wall feeling more at ease than she had all week. "My sister, Neima, wants us to wake up an hour earlier so we can cover more ground."_

"_That's good, right?" Jacob questioned. He was confused about why Asha sounded a little reluctant to follow her sister's advice. "You will get here faster, and you can tell us your news faster."_

"_It is Bali that I am worrying about," Asha mentioned glancing over at the sleeping child. "He is only four, yet he looks and acts as if he is nine. Because of his growth spurt, he gets tired easily, and I doubt that he will be able to make the journey if we wake up any earlier."_

"_Can't his father carry him until Bali wakes up?" Jacob asked also turning his attention towards the sleeping child. "If his father gets tired, then one of the other men can carry him."_

"_Yes, but the other men are alternating with carrying the two suit cases we keep our clothes in." Asha shook her head sadly. "I also fear that we are not alone in the mountains. I can sense the presence of a Cold One nearby, but it is smart enough to cover its tracks. If the Cold One attacks, I will send Aden and her son, Bali, ahead while we fight."_

_The two Alphas sat in silence as they contemplated their situation. After a few moments, Jacob stood up and stretched noticing how, even though his physical body wasn't sore, his soul felt stiff and tired from the hiking they did last night. If Asha felt sore in any way, she didn't show it._

"_I think we should continue forward." Jacob suggested stepping slightly to the side to allow the Alpha Female to exit the cave before him._

_Silence settled over the pair while they climbed up a large cliff, neither wolf was willing to break the peacefulness that the quiet brought. Eventually they reached the top, and when they did it seemed as if the whole world was spread out in front of them. Jacob thought the world looked very peaceful when one wasn't close enough to see the monsters that inhabited it._

_It wasn't until Asha leaned in closer to him that Jacob realized he had grabbed her hand. When he went to pull away, she only held on a little tighter and asked if they could stay like this for a little while. Jacob found himself agreeing, and together they watched the sunrise._

* * *

><p>Bali sat crouched down next to Asha as they watched a large pack of deer wander into the clearing. Asha spoke quietly occasionally pointing to deer while telling him the story of Q'wati gave the deer their antlers. Bali was entranced by Asha's mesmerizing voice, and he looked up to her much like a young boy would an older sibling.<p>

"And so Q'wati grabbed the shell knife that Deer was sharpening and stuck it on Deer's head." Asha spoke quietly to not startle the animals. "He said that Deer was turn and run whenever he saw humans because Deer was to be frightened of us."

When the story was over, Bali found himself staring a deer with rather large antlers that pranced around the clearing. He decided that the deer with the big antlers must've been making a really big knife to kill Q'wati with. Asha saw him watching the deer and she smiled at the young boy's attentiveness.

"You remember how many deer we need to bring back, right?" Asha whispered already beginning to pick out which deer she was going to kill.

"We need to bring back nine." Bali was growing more excited. The boy wasn't good at cooking or farming or reading, but he was a good hunter. After all, it was how he earned his name - through fighting and hunting.

"Find the deer you want?" Asha whispered focusing on the biggest deer. When she saw Bali nod his head, she leapt forward taking down three deer at once before allowing herself to pause and watch Bali as he easily took down twice the amount of deer she had. Yes, Bali had certainly earned the name Hunter.

* * *

><p>Jacob rolled his shoulder while listening to Seth draw out the new patrol schedule. Occasionally, Seth would ask a question regarding what time would be easier for which wolf, but other than that it remained silent. Jacob closed his eyes and leaned back in the small lawn chair he was occupying as he attempted to ignore his Beta's curious stare.<p>

Seth waited another moment before speaking, "Jake, normally I'm not one to pry, but you've been looking very… tired this morning, and that's weird because you've slept in pretty late compared to when you normally wake up." Jake remained quiet, and Seth tried a different approach, "Have you visited Asha again? Is that why you're tired?"

"Seth," Jacob began as he fought the urge to yawn, "In my sleep, my soul is hiking mountains, therefore, my soul is tired and sore. Although my body is immune to how sore my soul feels, it can still feel the tiredness." Seth raised an eyebrow curiously, and Jacob groaned. "I don't know how to explain it, Seth."

"I understand," Seth replied. The young Beta didn't get why Jacob's soul was tired or sore, but he guessed it had something to do with how the Alpha was hiking all night. It probably wasn't a good idea to allow his Alpha to continuously spend his nights hiking through rough terrain. "You should take a nap; I'll cover your patrol."

The Beta had ignored the Alpha's cries of protest, but continued to make the schedule. After a minute of complaints, Jacob had stopped mumbling reasons why he should patrol, and had settled for giving his Beta a glare that Leah herself would envy. Seth shifted uncomfortably under Jacob's unwavering gaze; how could one sit calmly when one's Alpha sent waves of frustration to you through the mental link.

When Seth was finished, the Alpha stared pointedly at the name Jacob written in somewhat neat writing under the fourth, sixth, and last patrol of the day. The Beta groaned at his Alpha's stubbornness and quickly flipped the piece of paper over so his Alpha could not stare at it. The moment the writing was hidden from Jacob's view he turned his attention to Seth.

"My name is on three of the patrols listed." Jacob spoke slowly to make sure Seth understood him. "I am tired and sore, but my place – and my duty – is with my Pack." The Alpha turned over the paper gently and ran his fingers down the list of names. "I give my soul to Asha to help aide her pack to our lands, but my body and my wolf is with the Pack at all times. My duty is here, and no matter what I will fulfill it."

Seth shook his head sadly as his Alpha rose. "What good are you if you are too tired to even patrol correctly?" Seth's voice came out quietly, but Jacob froze and Seth mentally cursed himself for daring to even question the Alpha. "Jake, I didn't–"

"Seth, it's OK." Jacob smiled at the Beta. "You're only showing concern for me, and I appreciate that, but I want to do my patrol."

The young wolf sighed and shook his head sadly as Jacob sprinted towards the trees to prevent his Beta from commenting further. Seth thought of yelling after the Alpha, but instead thought better of it and began to doodle on the edge of the paper. One of these days, Jacob was going to run himself to the point where he simply couldn't run anymore. But then again, that day was a long way from now.

Seth sat in the same spot for a while listening to the sounds of nature. He heard the crickets chirp, the birds screech, and the tree leaves rustle. Seth wasn't sure, but he knew that somewhere in the distance a young boy was playing with his pack. Sometimes, he would think of names for the boy, and give the boy a large happy family. The Beta liked to imagine happy scenarios. He never once thought of unhappy scenarios for the people he imagined. No, that was Leah's job.

Ah, Leah.

A feeling of contentment washed over the wolf as he pictured his sister in his mind. The girl had somehow forgiven Emily and Sam during the past few years, and now she seemed… happier. Yes, Leah was happier, so, in natural response, the pack was happier as well. Each day, Leah's usual unpleasant behavior was replaced with a round of playful banter and the occasional bitchy remark. All in all, this was a good time for the she-wolf.

The Beta relaxed in his chair. He knew that soon he would need to get up and relieve Jacob of his shift, but he wanted to sit in his chair and listen to the nature some more. In the distance, a frog paused mid-croak as if the small animal knew that Seth was listening. Both the frog and the wolf sat in companionable silence before the frog grew bored with the wolf and started to croak again.

Another couple of moments passed, and Seth was slowly rising out of his chair noticing how the bottom step to the porch groaned heavily under his weight. One day, that step was going to collapse; another day, Seth was going to have to fix it. It was his job as Beta. Fix the things that need fixing before problems can reach the Alpha.

Seth allowed himself a second to take a deep breath before he slipped off his cutoffs and broke into a sprint towards the tree line. He leapt over a rather large log, but before he could hit the ground, Seth had phased and was already on route.

Over by the beach, the Alpha thanked Seth for allowing him to run his full patrol, and Seth had responded that it was no problem because as Beta he needed to learn when the Alpha was too stubborn to listen to good advice. Jacob stayed quiet after that, but was soon struggling to contain a large fit of laughter. The Alpha wished his Beta good luck before phasing back and leaving Seth with his own thoughts.

The nice calm pacific feeling that settled in Seth while he was alone quickly got shattered by Paul's obnoxiously loud thoughts and Jared's obsessive thoughts. It was no surprise that both of their thoughts were about their significant others, and Seth was beginning to regret placing two wolves on the same patrol block as him when all they thought about were their girlfriends.

If Seth was smart, he would've let himself patrol with Collin and Brady, right Paul?

Of course, Jared. But then again Seth isn't the brightest wolf.

Seth shook his massive head to clear his mind of his pack mates' immature thoughts. He just couldn't catch a break.

Sorry, oh wonderful Beta. Paul's sarcastic thoughts once again invaded Seth's mind, and the Beta let out a long string of curse words flow through the mind link.

I wasn't aware Seth knew such vile words. This time it was Jared that was teasing the younger wolf.

Seth ignored both of the older wolves as he continued to run. The Beta decided to focus on the sound of his paws hitting the ground, and the sounds of the wind rushing past his ears. Suddenly realizing that Seth took his job much too seriously, the Beta allowed his tongue to roll of his mouth as he ran giving him a rather silly appearance. Despite his obvious lack of dignity, Seth could fully understand why dogs enjoyed sticking their heads of windows. Who wouldn't enjoy this feeling?

Paul snorted rather loudly and also thought that Seth was taking this "you should become one with your inner wolf" thing way too seriously. Paul also thought that maybe Seth shouldn't take Jacob's words too seriously. Seth only thought that Paul needed to relax a little bit.

The three wolves ran in silence before another group of three came in and traded places with the three on patrol.

When Seth phased back, he was a little sweaty and his breaths came out in jagged gasps. He had run his hardest today, and was now ready to go inside and collapse on his Collector's Edition Star Wars bedspread that was one-of-a-kind. Going home to these kinds of things were what made his day, and he knew that going home after working as hard as he could to his Star Wars themed room would make him even happier.

In fact, Seth was humming to himself quite cheerfully when he walked into his room. He had flicked his Darth Vader bobble head affectionately before wiping his sweaty brow and falling back on his bead. His head was currently resting on the Yoda figure while his right leg was planted firmly on the silver letters that spelled Star Wars. One arm was draped across his face while the other dangled off the side of his bed with his left leg.

When Seth was asleep, he dreamt of intergalactic missions and wolves that were intent on destroying Darth Vader and his army of Cold Ones.

* * *

><p>Neima played with a loose string on her sweat pants that were at least five sizes too big as she lazily watched Bali and Antaeus wrestle. Antaeus might've been older, more experienced, and very invincible, but Bali was determined and very strong for his young age. Neima found herself yawning loudly as Antaeus managed to wrestle Bali to the ground for the 73rd time that afternoon. Bali grunted out a request for another rematch, and his uncle rubbed his hands together gleefully.<p>

"Bali, as much as I would love to whip you in wrestling again," Antaeus began, "I think Neima is getting bored with us. Perhaps, we should do something she would like to participate in as well."

Bali glanced over at Neima curiously. He wasn't aware his Beta was growing bored. "Do not worry about me, Bali." Neima waved her hand lazily. "Antaeus only wishes to distract you before you too fight."

"Look at how she sits, Bali!" Antaeus cried. "She is sick of watching us fight."

"Enough with your distractions, uncle," Bali spoke sounding slightly exasperated and both of the older wolves smiled fondly at the young boy. "I am ready to fight; this time I _will_ win."

Antaeus let out a loud battle cry before lunging at Bali. Neither of the boys noticed their Beta's eyes flutter close. They were too busy fighting to notice how her head dropped, and her breathing evened out. It was only once they had finished their fight – Antaeus was the proud victor – had they noticed that Neima had fallen asleep.

"I told you she was bored." Bali's uncle taunted the pup in a teasing voice. "Look how she sleeps. She is clearly not amused with our pastime."

"She is simply tired." Bali retorted grimacing a little as a small bit of drool rolled down his Beta's cheek.

The two watched their Beta for a moment before they too rested at the bottom of the rock Neima was napping on. If they were back at their village, the two would have left the girl to nap and they would have taken their competition elsewhere, but they did not know what lurked in these mountains, so they would stay and protect their pack mate.

Bali thought it was nice that for once he got to watch over someone instead of have someone watch over him, but when he mentioned this to his uncle, Antaeus only laughed and said that if a Cold One were to approach them that Bali was to get help. Bali did not like that at all, but he listened to his uncle because older pack mates knew best.

"Has Neima fallen asleep, again?" Aden's voice drifted over to the two male wolves, and Bali quickly leapt up when he heard his mother. "It is a good thing that I let your uncle watch you as well."

"We were wrestling, and she grew bored with watching us." Antaeus replied stretching his limbs. "Most females tend to get bored with watching wrestling very quickly. I am surprised that she held out as long as she did."

"You forget that her name means strength." Bali replied as he made his way over to his mother. Aden smiled at her son and tightly grasped his hand in hers ignoring the loud snort that Antaeus let out when he heard Bali's statement.

"You forget that I am over a century and a half old, and that soon I will be nearing 200 years. I was there when her parents named her. I watched as her grandmother approved of the name." Antaeus sat straighter at this. "You have only been here for four years."

"Yes, but he already seems to be more mature than you." Aden commented as she easily lifted her son up into her arms. "Bali will grow to be a strong male. He might even outrank you."

"When he beats me in wrestling, I will believe it." Antaeus leaned back against the rock.

"I came close to beating you today, uncle!" Bali cried.

"But not close enough, Warrior," Antaeus teased. "I am invincible! Only the mighty Heracles can defeat me!" Antaeus let out a loud howl that echoed through the mountains and Aden and Bali raised their heads to join in with their pack mate's call.

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><p><strong>There are two big things I want to discuss!<strong>

**1.) Fanfiction would not allow me to log into my user account for at least two weeks, so that explains the delay.**

**2.) A lot of people read this and I didn't get any reviews. I know that over 100 people read this fanfiction, and that at least half of those people have accounts. Even if they don't have accounts I accept anonymous reviews. It's sad that I get 20 Favorite Story alerts and Story Alerts, and no reviews.**

**SO 10 REVIEWS OR NO UPDATE!**

**Also thanks to people that added this to their favorites...**

**once again that's 10 REVIEWS OR NO UPDATE!**

**~B**


	3. Chapter 3

**I was talking to my friend and she convinced me to finish the story even though I only reached half the amount I wanted to (-_-), but my friend is usually smart, so I'll listen to her and update the story for the few people that did review.**

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><p><em>The wolves lived in harmony with the humans. When the wolves needed protection and a place to stay, the humans would provide. And when the humans needed food and supplies, the wolves would provide. It was a teamwork that lasted for several centuries. One day, one of the Alphas spoke up against the Great Alpha Male and the Great Alpha Female. He questioned why superior beings such as the wolves needed to work with such inferior people. The Great Alpha Female responded that it was the way Q'wati said to live, but that answer didn't satisfy the Alpha.<em>

Asha smiled as her moccasins finally touched smooth ground. The pack had made it through the mountains in three days, and it would only take about three more to reach the Quileute people. The young Alpha Female congratulated herself on her safe voyage before beginning to herd her pack forward. If she had been paying attention to the smells around her, she would've noticed the sudden smell of an enemy pack. If she had just kept her wolves focused for a moment longer…

The wind picked up, and Asha's pack grew tense. Someone was here. Someone had been waiting for them to come.

Asha shifted closer to her pack noticing how Kato shifted Bali so the boy was in the middle of the group. Beside her, Neima crouched down scanning the earth around them for any sign of attack. Asha wasn't aware of how long they stood like that, but eventually a man walked out of the woods with three wolves behind him.

"_What do you want?" _Neima spoke her in native tongue. The man seemed to be evaluating the pack, so Neima repeated her question, but this time with more venom behind her words.

"_Neima, do you not remember me?" _The man asked also speaking in Quileute. He clicked his tongue, and moved so that he had a better view of the Beta. _"I am the one who you used to spend your lonely nights with. Remember how we had so many memories together? Do you not recognize your mate?"_

Neima growled before throwing several insults at the man. "_You are no mate of mine," _she hissed. "_You sold your soul to those Cold Ones. You picked your side that day, and I picked my side."_

"_Neima, please," _the man took a hesitant step forward, but immediately stepped back when Asha growled. "_You do not understand. I only did what is right for us. I did this for you."_

"_Take one more step forward and I will kill you." _This time it was Asha that was threatening the man. _"You will leave now, and I will spare you your life."_

The man seemed to be weighing his options. He bit his lip nervously, and then shook his head. "_I am afraid," _he began, "_that I cannot leave here without my mate by my side."_

A growl forced its way out of Asha's throat and the Alpha Female lunged at the man while phasing in mid air. The man phased as well and the two met head on falling to the ground in flash of angry limbs and teeth. Asha's pack followed their Alpha's lead and phased as well.

Neima moved to help her sister, but the moment she headed towards the two Alphas the other three wolves began circling her. When the first wolf moved to attack her, Amory's wolf leapt into the circle and easily knocked the approaching wolf out of the way. The massive brown wolf glanced back at his Beta before moving close enough to her that his grey fur was constantly rubbing up against her black fur.

Antaeus's wolf howled and Amory glanced over worriedly. The rest of Asha's pack was being circled by four Cold Ones. Neima noticed Aden standing near Bali protectively.

"Aden, take Bali and _run_!" Somewhere in the fight between the Alphas, Asha had phased back to human to avoid being hit, and managed to yell at Aden. The older she-wolf nervously glanced at her Alpha before scooping the child onto her back and leaping over the vampires. One of the Cold Ones ran after Aden, but the rest continued to watch the wolf pack as if nothing happened.

Neima leapt at the wolf closest to her while Amory distracted the other two wolves. Neima's claws slid down the wolf's face, but she was quickly thrown to the side by another wolf. The she-wolf quickly got to her feet keeping her eyes on both of the wolves. She could her pack's frantic thoughts, and she knew her pack was losing, but she focused on her enemy.

The largest wolf tried to tackle her, but Neima slid under the wolf managing to swipe at its belly before sliding out and shoving her whole body into the other wolf. The pair fell down giving Neima a couple of scrapes, but she rose to her feet anyways.

Amory's pained yelp distracted the Beta and she looked over to see where her pack mate was, but one of the wolves managed to sink his teeth into her hind leg and force her to the ground. Neima swore mentally before phasing back to human and punching the wolf in the eye. When the creature stumbled backwards, Neima phased into her wolf and clawed the wolf down his side.

The second wolf chose that moment to slam into her causing the she-wolf to lose her balance. The first wolf jumped on top of her successfully pinning her to the ground. Neima struggled to get out from under the massive wolf, but she only managed to phase back to human.

"Dammit," Neima cursed as she tried to shove the wolf off of her, but before she could, something heavy and _very_ hard slammed into her head.

From across the field, Asha saw her sister get knocked out, and she abandoned the fight with the other Alpha to try and reach her fallen pack mate. She only made it three steps before a cold one tackled her and somehow managed to wrap his arms around her torso. Asha slammed the Cold One onto a side of the mountain forcing the two to fall.

The Alpha shakily rose to her feet noticing that the other pack – including Neima – were gone. The only ones that remained were the Cold Ones and even they were retreating.

Asha would not lose her sister. She simply wouldn't, and that Alpha would pay for what he did.

The she-wolf took off the way the other pack had disappeared while following her nose. Yes, those wolves were fast, but Asha was faster. Asha would always be faster. The Alpha Female moved with grace keeping her mind completely focused on the hunt.

Behind her, Asha could hear Amory and Dilwyn calling her name, but she ignored them. She needed to get her sister back and the other wolves need to _help_ or _leave her alone_.

Amory whimpered as he picked up speed. But didn't Asha notice that their scents were gone. The Alpha stopped midstride and sniffed the air before swearing loudly.

WhereweretheyWherewerethey_Wherewerethey_?

Asha, calm down. This time it was Antaeus who spoke through the mental link. They will get their Beta back and that Alpha would pay, but they need to focus on finding Aden and Bali. They do not know where the other she-wolf and her pup are and remember the Cold One that is hunting them; remember the–

But didn't they understand? Didn't they understand that the Alpha that took Neima will rip her from Asha's pack and force Neima into his own? Didn't they know how weak and vulnerable the pack mind would be after having the Beta forcefully ripped out? Didn't they –

Asha, calm down. Amory's thoughts washed over his Alpha and he fought to calm her. Asha, please, the pack needs you to calm down. A pup is out there. He could get _killed_.

So could _Neima_! She was Asha's only sister! Her _only_ sister!

The Alpha Female's emotions were going out of control and it was driving the pack mind into chaos. She couldn't focus enough to calm down. She just couldn't focus after feeling that loss.

Asha lifted her head and let out a long pitiful howl.

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><p>Deep in the woods, a white she-wolf ran as fast as she could with a small child on her back. She knew that a Cold One was chasing her, and so she pushed herself to run faster. She would do it for her child. For her little Bali that was clinging on her back. The she-wolf could hear the Cold One's footsteps move closer, and the she-wolf forced her legs to move faster.<p>

The Cold One smashed into her side, and the impact caused the wolf to stumble in her run. Despite how the hit didn't seem to affect her, it had enough force behind it to send the child flying off of her back. The she-wolf felt the weight on her back disappear, and she immediately stopped.

"What do we have here?" The Cold One grasped her child's arm, and the she-wolf felt her body run cold. "Is this your precious little pup?" The Cold One's red eyes seemed to stand out even more, and the child began to tremble when the Cold One's fingers played with a lock of hair on his head. "I always enjoyed killing children the most."

The she-wolf lunged at the Cold One causing it to drop her child's arm and attempt to move out of the way; but it wasn't fast enough and it now had a large scar running from its shoulder to its hip. The Cold One hissed angrily and rounded on the wolf. Its body was a white blur that she was barely managing to avoid.

The she-wolf batted her paw at the Cold One to keep its fangs from reaching her, but the demon still swiped at her. It managed to grab the she-wolf's leg and snap it easily in its hands. The wolf howled in pain, and the child lunged for the demon that attacked its mother.

The Cold One was shocked when the child phased into a wolf. Of course, the shock wore off and was eventually replaced with amusement. How could the Cold One be scared of a little black wolf with white paws? It was just so… cute.

The Cold One smirked and lunged for the pup expecting it to be an easy kill. It wasn't prepared for the pup to twist out the way and sink its teeth in the Cold One's arm. The pup's teeth weren't sharp enough to rip the limb off, but damn it still hurt.

"Let go you little fuck," the Cold One pried the wolf's jaw open before flinging the pup into a nearby tree. The tree swayed from the force of the impact, but it didn't break. The Cold One wasn't sure if the same could be said for the pup on the ground though. Oh well, it made his job easier.

The Cold One turned to face the she-wolf that was still struggling to get up, and it placed its hands on either side of the wolf's head. "This won't hurt a bit." The Cold One cooed at the wolf before easily snapping its neck.

The pup began to whimper on the ground and the Cold One spared it a glance. The demon stood still pondering whether or not to kill it, but he remembered the Alpha's orders. Only kill the third she-wolf. So the Cold One nudged the wolf's body with its toe to make sure it was dead before leaving the pup half conscious with a broken back. It would die eventually.

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><p>"<em>Jacob, it's my entire fault."Asha's voice was lacking any emotion and Jacob felt a surge of pity for the Alpha Female in front of him. "If I had paid more attention to the scents around me, I would have been able to get ready for the attack earlier. Now my Beta is missing and so are my other she-wolf and her son."<em>

"_It's not your fault, Asha." Jacob whispered. "They caught you by surprise."_

"_But if I had recovered from the shock quicker, than Aden and Bali would still be here." Asha stood up angrily. "I need to find them."_

"_Asha, you sent them ahead of you. They're going to keep moving until they reach La Push." Jacob argued. "You're best bet is to continue moving towards La Push, and if they aren't there, go looking for them."_

"_Why are you only focused on us getting to La Push?" Asha yelled. "You only want us to come so you can prove to your council that you aren't making this up for attention. Is that all we are to you, a chance to prove that this isn't some sort of stunt?" Asha growled at the Alpha Male in front of her. _

"_Asha, that's not the why I want you to come to La Push."_

"_Sure, it isn't Jacob."_

"_Asha, please just listen to–"_

"_Three of my pack mates are missing Jacob, and one of them was abducted. Does this not mean anything to you?"_

"_Asha, listen to me." Jacob grabbed Asha's arms so that she was facing him. "I care about your pack mates, but when I say that you need to get to La Push it's so that we can protect you in case that Alpha comes back."_

"_Get out my dream, Jacob Black."_

"_Asha-"_

"_GET OUT OF MY DREAM!"_

Jacob jolted awake with beads of sweat rolling down his face. His chest heaved up and down as he struggled to breathe properly. When Asha forced him out of the dream, Jacob's whole body felt like he was being lit on fire. The feeling was so real that for a moment Jacob thought that he _had_ been on fire.

The young Alpha wiped his brow before taking several shaky breaths. If Asha didn't go to La Push, then that Alpha might come back with more Cold Ones. As much as Jacob wished he could, he knew that he couldn't force the Alpha Female into going to La Push. He would wait until Aden and Bali came then he would try to contact Asha.

Grunting silently, Jacob rose to his feet ignoring how the room seemed to sway. He needed to tell Billy and the others about what happened. They needed to know, and they needed to know now.


	4. Chapter 4

_The more the Alphas began to question the Great Alpha Male and Female the more divided the Pack became. Eventually fights began to form between the Alphas. Eventually each of the Alphas left the council and formed their own Pack. With each year that passed the Great Alphas waited for the Alphas to return home. The two were ready to forgive the ones who spoke out and were ready to reform the Pack bond. Each year the two Alphas watched as the perfect world that Q'wati made began to fall apart._

Seth fiddled with the zipper of his jacket nervously. In the front of the room, the teacher wrote the homework on the board while the students hurried to scribble down the assignment. Seth wasn't doing what he was supposed to be doing, but in his defense, he was too busy worrying about the current state of his Alpha than to bother with writing down his homework.

Through the Pack bond, Seth could feel a wave of unease flowing steadily. The Beta drummed his fingers on the desk nervously knowing that somewhere in the school Jake was walking around in circles _still_ thinking about the Asha incident.

His argument with Asha happened three days ago, and he hadn't heard a word from the Alpha Female ever since. Not to mention that Jacob was constantly beating himself up whenever he would send Seth and Leah out to search for the mysterious pack and they would turn up empty handed.

Finally, the bell rang and Seth leapt out of his seat nearly sending his desk toppling over. The teenaged wolf grabbed his bag and muttered a goodbye to his teacher before sprinting out the room.

"Seth," Brady called out to his Beta. "Where's the fire?"

"Asha is supposed to come today and Jake wants me out there to patrol early, and I want to try to make it to him before he disappears again." Seth stopped his sprint to give a hurried reply to his pack mate before continuing to run out the doors.

The Beta paused on the steps of the small tribal school before spotting his Alpha over by the beat up Rabbit. "Yo, Jake!" Seth called out to the young Alpha ignoring the string of curse words that flew out of his mouth when the car door refused to open. "Having troubles with your car again, huh?" Seth tried to keep the conversation light and teasing, but one look from Jacob caused the younger wolf to swallow nervously.

"Shouldn't you be on patrol?" Jacob folded his massive arms across his chest causing Seth to look away. "What if Asha comes by and we aren't out there to help her find where she's supposed to go?"

"See that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Seth began to play with his zipper again. "I don't think Asha is going to turn up today–"

"Seth, she wouldn't just _give up_." Jacob argued.

"I know she wouldn't, but she seemed pretty mad so she probably isn't gonna show up for a while."

"Seth," Jacob narrowed his eyes at his Beta. "I need you and Leah to get out there and patrol _now_."

The Beta frowned but turned and headed towards the woods with his head hanging down low. Normally, he wouldn't have allowed Jacob being in a bad mood affect him so much, but the Beta couldn't help but worry about how obsessive Jacob was being.

Seth groaned loudly as he began to shed his clothes. The change happened quickly and so suddenly that he didn't even notice when he was running on four paws instead of two feet. The Beta blocked off his worried thoughts from the prying thoughts of his sister which only succeeded in annoying the she-wolf. As much as she wanted to rip down the barrier, she forced herself to stay focused on the task at hand and ignore the worried feelings that were coming from her annoying brother.

Seth was really better with all these words of encouragement that Leah seemed to be giving him. The she-wolf gave no response to the Beta except for a rolling of the eyes that he didn't seem to notice.

The two wolves ran the rest of the time in silence. Silence wasn't something that Seth enjoyed too much, but it was easier to worry about his Alpha's sanity when it was quiet than it would be if the rest of the pack was also phased.

Seth needed to move faster, and Seth needed to get to his sister _now_. Leah's panicked thoughts broke through the mental link and without realizing what he was doing, the Beta turned around and moved in the direction of his sister. The Beta was panicking. Was it a vampire? Was Leah hurt? God damn it why wasn't she answering him?

The panicked wolf burst through the trees and skidded to a halt next to his sister. Seth crouched down low and growled loudly as he swung his massive head around the clearing. Suddenly, the Beta was confused. There was nothing here. If Leah was just playing a trick on him, then – oh!

Was it a baby shape-shifter or a normal wolf?

Clearly, it was a baby shape-shifter. Leah mentally scolded her brother's stupidity before turning her attention back to the pup. The she-wolf made a small keening noise at the back of her throat and the small wolf repeated it.

It might be injured. Seth commented while watching his sister slowly approach the pup.

Oh, Seth, it's so _cute_.

Indeed the tiny pup was in fact… cute. He was a black pup with white paws and a white stripe running down its back. The pup's small ears twitched and a small whining noise came out.

Don't just stare at it, Leah! Do something!

Leah phased back to her human form before sliding into a baggy shirt and loose fitting shorts. Her short black hair stuck out in every direction, but she focused her attention on the pup in front of her.

"Hey there," she cooed gently pressing her hand on the pup's side. "I'm Leah. I belong in the La Push Pack and that's my brother Seth." Leah ran her hand through its fur pausing whenever she felt a scratch or a bump. "You probably traveled for a while before you made it here, huh? I'm going to need you to phase back to human for me."

The pup whined loudly, and Seth flattened his ears to his head.

"I know it's going to hurt, but it's for the best." Leah turned to her brother and frowned at him. "Seth, give him your shirt."

The Beta whined at Leah's request. It was his best shirt and he didn't want it getting dirty. Leah pointed again at the shirt, and Seth allowed his sister to untie the clothing from his leg.

"I got a shirt for you, but it might be really big." Leah placed her hand on the pup's head. "I need you to phase for me. Is that OK, honey?"

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><p>Sam looked out of breath. In fact, he looked like he ran ten miles just to get to Jake's house, and in his defense… he did. The former Alpha had sprinted at least nine and a half miles in human form to get to his Alpha, and now he was wishing that he had least had the decency to phase before running that far of a distance. His human form couldn't handle that kind of exercise.<p>

Sam paused for a moment to catch his breath before knocking on the door to Jake's house. He waited for about thirty seconds before knocking on the door a second time. On his third time of knocking the door, Billy finally answered it.

"Where's the fire, son?" Billy teased lightly. He took one look at the former Alpha and any trace of humor was swept from his face.

"Jacob," Billy called while backing his wheel chair into the house. "Sam's here for you."

The Alpha appeared at the door the moment Billy mentioned Sam's name. Jacob's hair was even messier than usual and he had bags under his eyes. Sam swallowed loudly suddenly at a loss for words.

"Sam, what do you want?"

"We found one of Asha's missing pack members." Jacob shut the door in his father's face not even bothering to tell Billy where he was going. The former Alpha made way for the current one. "It's a boy that can't be older than nine years old."

"Bali."

"What?" Sam stopped walking to stare at his Alpha. "What the hell is a Bali?"

"That's his name." Jacob explained not even bothering to stop and wait for his Third. "The kid's name is Bali and his mother is Aden and his father is Kato. Is the rest of his pack here, too?"

"No, it's just the kid." Sam murmured moving twice as fast so he could catch up with the Alpha. "Anyways, he's at Sue's house with Leah. The girl's been trying to get the guy to eat something, but he's too shaken up to eat. He's murmuring a bunch of incoherent stuff: something about Cold Ones, his mother, and Asha. We figured we should get you."

Jacob nodded his head in agreement. "How long has he been there?"

"Just a couple of minutes," Sam began to scratch his arm nervously. "Do you think his mother is out there somewhere?"

"I don't know, but I think we should talk to the kid first." Jacob moved even faster than before. "He might know where Asha is."

"Jake–" Sam stopped what he was saying when he saw how determined his Alpha was. The former Alpha had no right to voice his opinions about this Asha girl when the current Alpha had already made up his mind on the decision.

When the two men arrived at Sue Clearwaters house, the inside was chaos. Paul was arguing with Collin and Brady, Seth was talking animatedly – and rather loudly – to Quil and Embry, and Leah, Sue, and several other imprints were fussing over a sobbing child. Jacob ignored his pack mates and moved towards the huddle of women that were either trying to get Bali to eat or that were rubbing his back and giving him encouraging words.

"Bali," Jacob spoke quietly to the kid and the young child looked up at the Alpha. Even at a young age he already could look at someone and know their rank in a pack and this particular man screamed Alpha. So naturally, Bali did what any other pup would do. He lowered his eyes to the ground and whined.

"Jacob, don't scare the poor boy!" Leah hissed as she placed a protective arm around Bali. "He's been through so much."

"I'm not trying to scare him." Jacob replied softly. The Alpha ignored Leah's loud snort and focused on the child. "Bali, where's your mom?"

Immediately, Jacob wished he started off with another question because Bali began to bawl like a little baby. The boy's large brown eyes filled with tears that he was unwilling to shed despite the loud sobs that were coming out of his mouth.

"Bali, honey," Emily's soothing voice reached the boy's ears. "We need you to answer our questions so we can get you back to your pack."

"The Cold One killed her." The silence that followed his statement seemed to be louder than the noise that was once in the house. "When we were attacked, mom and I ran, and the Cold One followed us–"

"That's enough," Jacob murmured unable to hear anymore. The Alpha didn't know what to say, and neither did any of the other pack members. "Bali, Emily is going to take you to get some clothes. You're going to stay here with my Beta and Leah, okay?"

Bali lifted his eyes to look at the Alpha. When their eyes connected, Bali nodded his head slowly, and his tiny hand grasped Emily's much larger one. "You're going to find, Asha, right?"

"Of course, I am."


	5. Chapter 5

_Q'wati saw the Quileute people grow more divided and he began to worry. When he spoke to the Great Alpha Male and Female, they told him that their children were not ready to return home. So, desperately, Q'wati made the Cold Ones. He created them, so that the Alphas would return home and learn to fight together to protect their people, but Bayaq – also known as Raven – meddled with Q'wati's plan. Bayaq took the Cold Ones and gave them their desire for Quileute blood._

Jacob was tired. He was tired and sore and irritable, but he wasn't going to give up. Somewhere on _his_ lands an ally was defeated and needed help. It might've been his Alpha side coming out, but he wouldn't give up until they found Asha.

Jake needed to rest. He needed to trust that his Beta and his Alpha Female could handle this. Leah's thoughts broke through the mental link, but the Alpha pushed them aside. He wouldn't tolerate any talk about him giving up. He made a promise and dammit he was going to follow through.

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><p>Kato stared into the fire; his sad eyes didn't see his pack mates as they tried to comfort him. Their words floated in the air not fully reaching Kato's ears. He was too empty to comprehend anything besides the dull ache that was forming in his chest. The wolf bent over slightly as if he was trying to get closer to the fire. If the pack wasn't there, he would've thrown himself into the burning embers to end the pain.<p>

How could he have lost his wife and son in one day? His pack mates assured him that the two were alive but they were only denying the truth. Couldn't they feel the emptiness in the pack link? Couldn't they feel the gaping hole in the place where Aden's presence was supposed to be?

Kato cringed as guilt stabbed him in the gut. When he saw that vampire chase Aden, he should've run after them. He should've been there because then Aden would still be alive.

"Kato," the wolf looked up to see Dilwyn. "Do not blame yourself. There was nothing we could do, brother."

"There was _everything_ we could have done!" Kato cried grabbing the attention of the pack. "If some of us had just gone to find Aden, she would still be–"

Suddenly, Kato lurched forward as if he was punched in the gut. He began to tremble violently and Dilwyn nervously backed away. The younger wolf looked helplessly towards the Alpha as Kato dropped to his knees. Kato's left hand held onto his stomach tightly while his right hand covered his eyes. He looked ready to faint, but the Alpha's presence washed over him calming his tremors.

"Someone get him water and a sleeping bag." Asha's voice was calm, but it didn't lack the power of an Alpha Command. She focused on the injured wolf, and the pack scrambled to find the supplies she needed. "Kato," she whispered, "you're going to be alright."

"What's happening?" Kato mumbled as his vision blurred.

"You lost your mate. This is how your body reacts. It'll get better eventually." Asha rubbed soothing circles onto her pack mates back.

"Aden shouldn't have died." Kato whispered suddenly feeling the truth behind his words. "If I was there, it would have ended differently." Asha's hand stopped moving on Kato's back, and he began to wonder whether or not he upset his alpha.

"If you had went, both of you would have died." Asha muttered quietly. Her words seemed to place a large amount of weight on Kato.

"Perhaps," he agreed. "But there was always the chance that I could have saved her."

"Trust the decisions your Alpha makes."

Kato stayed quiet but after a while he replied, "I trust you sister."

Asha smiled. "I trust you as well, brother."

The two wolves sat in silence until Antaeus approached them with a cup of water and a sleeping mat. He kept his eyes low when handing them their items.

"Get better, brother." Antaeus was unusually quiet compared to how loud he usually acted.

"Thank you, brother." Kato replied.

Kato's hand shook as he took the cup out of his brother-in-law's hand. Asha smiled and nodded to Antaeus and the massive wolf slowly retreated. They waited until Antaeus couldn't hear them before continuing their conversation.

"Are we still headed towards Quileute land?" Kato's question surprised Asha and she froze as she remembered her and Jacob's fight.

"I do not know." Asha moved a half a step away from Kato. "The Alpha and I are not exactly on speaking terms right now."

"Did you guys have an argument?" Kato asked trying to keep his thoughts from wandering towards Aden. "It will be best for both packs if you apologize to the La Push Alpha."

"I will. I just need time."

"Asha," Kato's voice sounded tired and the Alpha Female nervously placed her on his shoulder to try and will his pain away. "I think it will be best for everyone if you apologize; we need to get to La Push. We will be safer on tribal ground."

Asha grunted in response and Kato frowned.

"Bali is probably waiting for us there. If you will not do it to mend the bond between our packs, do it for Bali." Kato rose the cup to his lips struggling to drink without spilling the water. When his Alpha remained silent, he spoke again. "Do it for Aden."

Asha closed her eyes, but moved closer to Kato. When she reopened her eyes, Kato was watching her closely. She nodded her head in consent.

"I trust you, brother."

"I trust you, sister." Kato's voice was filled with gratitude and it managed to fill Asha with hope.

She would do this for Kato and Bali and Aden. She would do this for her pack.

* * *

><p>Collin and Brady walked up the beach ignoring the looks they got from the local girls. They were too busy worrying about the latest pack gossip to even notice which girls were checking them out and which girls weren't. Both of them needed to stay up-to-date since none of the older pack members wanted to share information, so the two wolves were left to catch up on all the latest things on their own.<p>

"So that's why Jen is mad at Paul." Collin finished up his story with an enthusiastic head nod. "Who knew that he was cheating on Jen with her twin sister?"

"Harsh," Brady shook his head sadly. "Paul is too emotionally wounded from the abuse his father gave him to dedicate himself to one woman."

Collin paused to think about this new theory, but nodded his head anyways. "It's how he copes with it."

Brady stopped to watch two girls jog by in bikinis before continuing the conversation. "You won't believe what Leah dreamed about last night." Collin turned to face Brady enthusiastically, but Brady frowned. "You can't tell anyone about this OK?"

"My lips are sealed." Collin zipped his lips shut and threw the imaginary key.

"Good," Brady threw a dramatic look over his shoulder and leaned towards Collin. "You know how Leah sometimes have dreams about Sam?"

"Who doesn't know that?" Collin rolled his eyes. "This better not be your gossip story, Brady. Jesus Christmas you would think that you would have a good story every now and then!"

"It's not my story, Collin, would you let me finish? Anyways, Paul was phasing for patrol when he found her sleeping in wolf form. He thought it would be funny to go into her dream, but when he did, he saw particularly graphic dream and our alpha, Jake."

"Holy shit!" Collin bit his lip nervously and lowered his voice. "How did you hear this?"

"I overheard Paul and Jared talking about it when they thought I was in the bathroom." Brady shrugged nonchalantly and Collin frowned.

"Whatever, I got a better dream to gossip about." Collin folded his arms across his chest defensively.

"Nothing can beat my story!" Brady whispered harshly as another group of girls walked by. "So save your story for tomorrow because that redhead was definitely checking me out."

Collin waved his hand dismissively. "What if I told you that besides Jacob and Seth, we would be the only people who knew this lovely piece of information?"

"I'm listening."

"Jacob talked to Asha in a dream again and she's going to be here tomorrow afternoon about an hour after school ends that's why they changed tomorrows patrol schedule so only he and Seth were patrolling; it had nothing to do with the bonfire. They wanted it to be a surprise."

Collin smiled at Brady's expression. There was no way that Brady could think of piece of gossip better than Collin's story. The two boys stared at each other before Brady frowned.

"Whatever," Collin grinned at his friend's one-worded response. "I'm gonna go talk to that redhead. She's more interesting than your gossip."

Brady began to walk away heading over to the girls. He was going to ignore Collin's laughter and focus on that redhead. Besides, Collin didn't need to know that Bali told Brady that Asha has a major crush on Jacob, or that Asha's sister Neima was kidnapped by a former lover. No, Collin _really_ didn't need to know that.

"Hey gorgeous," Brady focused on the redhead immediately noticing the blush that stood out on her pale skin. "Are you doing anything tonight because I might have a date with a beautiful girl in a pink bikini this evening if she's interested? We might even go to a bonfire tomorrow night."

The excited giggle she gave made Brady's ego grow ten times bigger. Oh, Brady was on a roll today.


	6. Chapter 6

_Bayaq's trick cost many Quileute's their lives, and the Great Alpha Female and Great Alpha Male could not figure out how to stop their new enemies. Q'wati said the only way to kill the Cold Ones were to rip them apart, but when the Great Alphas attempted to rip them apart, the Cold Ones kept reassembling themselves. Worried, they called all the other Alphas in hopes that an Alpha Male or Alpha Female could think of a way to destroy the monsters that drank Quileute blood._

Charlie was nervous. Her palms were sweating, her heart was pounding, and her breaths were coming out in quick uneven gasps. She supposed that she wasn't hiding her nervousness too well by the way that her boyfriend kept glancing over at her. But then again, who could blame her? In about five minutes, she was going to meet her boyfriend's closest group of friends, and his family, not just his mother, but his sister too!

What if they didn't like her? What if they thought she was conceited?

Charlie's hand nervously slid down to her Gucci boots. They cost about $100 per foot, and a lot of people have seen her in these exact pair and have jumped to the conclusion that she was a rich, ignorant, airhead. She certainly didn't want her boyfriend's mother to think these things about her. She should've stuck with wearing her less expensive low-key Coach shoes.

Over in the driver's seat, her boyfriend sent a reassuring glance her way. "I'm sure they're going to _love_ you." He grinned at her before focusing back on the road.

"Seth," Charlie groaned, "it isn't about whether or not they like me; it's about if they think I'm good enough for you. We're from two completely different worlds, and what if nobody thinks I'm worth your time." Towards the end of her statement her voice grew quieter and quieter until she was sure that Seth couldn't even hear what she was saying.

"If they don't think you're good enough for me, then they're idiots." Seth's statement was enough to make Charlie smile. "Charles, I'm the one that's not good enough for you."

"Seth –"

Seth raised a hand to cut off his girlfriend. "You know it's true, Charles." The young wolf grabbed his girlfriend's hand as they pulled into the beach parking lot. "The thing is…. I think I'm in love with you and even though we're only in high school I'm pretty sure what I'm feeling is real. I don't care if you love me or not because eventually you will love me."

Charlie pressed her lips against Seth's enjoying the feel of his lips on hers. "I think I love you too, Baby Boy."

"Let's go, Mami."

The couple walked to the beach hand-in-hand and even though their hands weren't a perfect match, Seth was glad for the imperfection. To him, everything about her was perfect. He didn't long for an imprint where everything would be perfect; he longed for the girl that was right next to him.

The first person to notice the couple was Collin and Brady who had chosen to sit in the perfect spot so they could see anyone that approached the bonfire. The two were unaware that Seth was bringing a date, and they were twice as surprised when they saw the designer shoes she wore. Despite her attempts to dress the shoes down by wearing jeans and a white shirt, they stood out painfully.

"Hey, Seth," Brady muttered keeping his eyes locked on the girl standing next to his pack mate. "Who's your friend?"

"Didn't you two hear?" Jared interrupted as he slung his arms around the two pups. "Seth decided to bring his girlfriend. He hasn't been able to shut up about her." Jared pushed the pups away from him as he reached out to shake Charlie's hand. "I'm Jared, you must Charles."

"Yeah," she shook his hand awkward suddenly feeling twice as nervous as she did earlier. "Seth talks about you guys a lot."

"I hope he says good things." Collin piped up winking at the poor girl who turned several shades of pink. "Lord knows, he loves to talk about what good friends we are."

"Don't flatter yourself, pup." Seth teased as he gently tugged Charlie over to the rest of the pack. "Besides, I think it's time you met the family."

Charlie suddenly found herself being surrounded by a group of tall Native American men and several not so tall Native American women. She wasn't sure how to handle the attention besides muttering a few hellos and struggling to remember everyone's name.

A nice scarred lady named Emily talked to her and kept her away from the group of tall muscular men until the Council arrived. By then, Seth had taken her hand and was leading her towards a tall slim woman who was whispering very quietly to a man in a wheelchair. From what she knew, this was Sue Clearwater and Billy Black: the people who had been with Seth for his whole life.

"Hello, darling," Sue cooed Charlie as she pulled the young girl in for a hug. "I'm Seth's mom, but you can call me Sue."

"Hi," Charlie made sure to stand straight and remember her manners as she smiled up at the woman. "I'm Charlie, but a lot of people call me Charles. Seth tells me that you run a store on the reservation that specializes in one-of-a-kind jewelry. He says that you made this necklace." Charlie pulled out a thin necklace with a very detailed carving of a wolf hanging on it.

Sue inspected it very carefully before smiling. "I did make it. I had no idea he planned on giving it away to a girl."

"It's very beautiful."

Seth wrapped an arm around Charlie's shoulder and pressed his lips against her cheek. "Jacob's here."

* * *

><p>Asha stood tall next to Jacob and the presence of another Alpha and of another pack washed over the Quileute shape-shifters and they all froze. Some looked questioningly towards the Alpha while others moved towards their imprints. They did not mean any disrespect to Asha or her pack; they just did not understand if they could trust her.<p>

Behind her, the rest of her pack stood silently watching and waiting. The silence seemed louder than the chatter that had filled the air earlier and Sue seemed to be regarding Asha with a stern look.

Suddenly, Bali managed to run out of Leah's arms and head straight towards his father. The moment the young wolf had wrapped his small arms around his father's muscular leg the tension seemed to shatter and the casual atmosphere returned.

Asha looked back at her pack wondering if they were dressed too formally for this affair when she noticed the attire that the La Push Pack was wearing. The men in Asha's pack all had on dress shirts with khaki pants and moccasins while she wore a white knee-length sundress with her chestnut colored UGGs. For a moment, she wondered whether or not they would "blend-in" but before she could voice these concerns to Jacob two young pups from the La Push Pack were standing in front of her.

"Hello, I'm Collin and this is Brady." The two wolves thrust their hands out and warily Asha shook each wolf's hand. "Let me be the first person to formally welcome you to La Push."

Asha decided she was unprepared for the greeting she received when both wolves bowed down awkwardly low to her. Nervously she glanced over at Dilwyn only to see him greeting a La Push wolf enthusiastically. A quick glance to her left showed her that Antaeus was already setting up strength challenges with the other wolves.

"I am the mighty Antaeus and I have not lost a match yet. Who dares challenge me?" He bellowed loudly causing a rather large La Push wolf to approach him.

"Collin, I think she's ignoring us." Brady's harsh whisper forced Asha to stare at the two wolves that had straightened out and were now watching Asha with a curious look.

"Maybe she's focused on Jake," Collin waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I think I'm going to go stand with Antaeus." Asha took a hesitant step backwards before quickly moving over to her pack mate who was setting up an arm wrestling competition between him and another wolf.

"What is your name, young one?" Antaeus questioned the wolf loudly ignoring the chuckles of the wolf's pack mates.

"I'm twenty-eight I doubt I'm that young." He muttered.

"I am over a century old. You are young." Antaeus laughed loudly and the sound echoed around the bonfire. "What is your name?"

"Paul." The wolf took the toothpick out of his mouth and tossed it into the fire. "Are we gonna wrestle or what?"

Another La Push wolf knelt down next to the pair, and looked each one in the eye with mock seriousness. "I want a nice clean wrestle here. No spitting, fighting, cursing, or yelling, understand?" When both wolves nodded their heads, the wolf smiled. "One… Two…. GO!"

The minute Paul went to flex his arm; Antaeus had already slammed his arm down leaving a large uneven crack where the back of Paul's hand had hit it. The La Push Pack that had gathered to watch the contest all grew silent when they saw how fast Antaeus had won. Immediately, the silence was filled with shouts of who wanted to go next.

Paul gritted his teeth and stood up quietly as he stared down the older wolf. The two stared at each for a moment, but Paul broke away first heading over to the mounds of food sitting over at a table by the Council. Asha stared after the wolf for a moment before returning to the festivities.

Another La Push wolf named Jared had taken Paul's spot. He eagerly held out his hand determined to win, but he lost even faster than Paul had. One by one each La Push wolf challenged Antaeus until the only wolf left was the La Push Alpha.

Asha didn't know if it was just her, but Antaeus looked uneasy to be fighting against an Alpha. Jake had slid into the spot across from him casually without even looking like he was focused on the contest. The wolves stared at each other before Jacob placed his arm on the rock with one eyebrow raised.

"You are next, young Alpha?" Antaeus questioned as he rubbed his hands together nervously. "Are you sure you wish to challenge me?"

"I'm positive this is what I want." Jacob motioned for Antaeus to put his hand on the rock as well. "May the best man win?"

"Kick his ass, Jake!" The she-wolf in the La Push Pack cried out loudly. A large cheer followed her statement and pretty soon both packs were crowded around the pair.

The two started and Jacob was pushing Antaeus's arm down, and the La Push Pack cheered louder. Suddenly, Asha was joining in the yelling as Antaeus managed to push Jacob's arm back up. Soon the two were straining to push the other's arm down, but they were evenly matched.

"You are strong, Alpha," Antaeus grunted out as he strained to move Jacob's arm.

"As are you." Jacob replied. "But I believe that I am stronger." With a burst of strength Jacob managed to slam Antaeus's hand down against the rock.

"This is the first time in my whole life that I have lost." Antaeus murmured as he flexed his hand. "I think he has earned the name Heracles for he is the only one that has defeated me!"

"Nice job, Heracles." Jared's imprint, Kim, murmured into Jacob's ear causing him to flush deeply.

"Don't tell me that you're going to call me that from now on." Jacob groaned loudly.

"Of course not, Heracles." Seth teased causing a young African American girl next to him to giggle. Asha was pretty sure the girl's name was Charles or Charlie.

"Come one, Heracles, the bonfire is only just starting." Asha joined in the teasing as well. Besides, she might as well enjoy her time in La Push. She was going to be here a while.

* * *

><p>A young girl somewhere in her early twenties sat in a large throne with a fine silk blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The throne was decorated with gold carvings and rare jewels, and she wore a large amount of jewelry. Next to her sat a young man that appeared to be the same age on a throne identical to hers.<p>

"Milord and Milady," a young man not too far into his teens walked into the throne room before stopping a good ten feet away from the thrones. He wore baggy pants that were two sizes too big with a thin white shirt on that seemed to make his muscles stand out even more. "The Italian Pack has not followed us here."

The man seemed to think about this before waving his hand to dismiss teen. "Thank you, Achilles that is all." The young man, Achilles, bowed deeply before quickly hurrying out the room tripping over his feet twice.

"Neima, darling," the man cooed to the woman. "I told you that your Pack would not follow us."

Neima turned her glassy brown eyes towards the man before smiling. "I was wrong to doubt you, Kano." Neima's voice sounded light and airy as if she were breathing the words instead of speaking them. "I do hope you forgive me."

"Of course I do, my love." Kano brushed a strand of Neima's hair away from her face. "Didn't I tell you how much you would enjoy it here with me? Did I not tell you that your Pack would never find us? We are free to live our happily ever after."

"I know, but I wish to see my sister again." Neima pouted and Kano frowned at his mate's disappointment.

"Do not worry; she will be here soon enough."

Kano clapped loudly and a pair of male vampires wearing only a pair of baggy sweats walked in with their heads lowered to the ground. The two bowed to Kano and the king smiled greedily at the power he held over the Cold Ones.

"I want you two to lure Asha here. Tell her that her sister wishes to see her." Kano clapped his hands again and the pair walked out of the throne room leaving the Alpha Male and the Beta Female alone. "See Neima, I will handle everything."

Neima blinked as if she did not hear him and then blinked again. Her eyes cleared up a little and she glanced around the room trying to remember where she was. Each time she tried to think of how she got there all she remembered was fog.

"Neima darling, what is wrong?" Kano reached for Neima's hand, and she flinched away. "Oh dear, drink some of this Neima."

Kano reached for a pitcher resting by Neima's throne and handed her a glass filled with what appeared to water. The she-wolf stared at him before frowning.

"I do not wish to drink this."

Kano sighed and pushed the glass closer to her. "Please, Neima." Suddenly, Kano's pupils grew smaller and smaller until his eyes were completely brown. "Neima drink this." The she-wolf shuddered as the weight of his command washed over her. She shook even harder as she tried to fight it, but eventually her hand reached out for the glass.


	7. Chapter 7

_The__Council__reassembled__and__for__sixty__days__and__nights__the__Alphas__tried__to__think__of__ways__to__destroy__the__Cold__Ones,__but__none__of__the__Alphas__could__figure__out__how__to__successfully__kill__the__Cold__Ones.__They__tried__many__tactics__over__and__over__again__until__they__decided__to__send__the__Great__Alpha__Male__and__Female__out__to__search__for__Bayaq__and__ask__him__how__to__destroy__the__Cold__Ones._

Asha walked down the long path with Jacob listening to him as he told her the stories of their people. He reminded her of the legends that the Packs outside of the tribal land forgot, and he reminded her of the reason why their people could phase. He mentioned how it was a duty and a job they had to fulfill to protect their people from the Cold Ones that Bayaq created many years ago.

Jacob watched the Alpha Female intently as he told the stories. He wanted her to understand the meaning and the power behind them. He didn't want her to just discard the stories like how most of the tribe did, but he wanted her to cherish them. After all, those were their only link to their ancestors.

"I wonder why those stories got lost." Ahsa murmured as she fingered a pattern on her shirt. "I doubt that my grandmother would even be able to recall that many stories and she's nearing 1,000 years old."

"You remember how the Alphas all left the Council?" Asha nodded her head. "We think that when they left they stopped telling the legends because it reminded them too much of the Great Alpha Male and Female, so they only told certain legends."

The two wolves glanced at each other and Jacob cleared his throat awkwardly. "Of course, that's only my assumption." He added. "Why don't you tell me about your history?"

Asha smiled warmly at the La Push Alpha before taking his hand. "I grew up on a vineyard in Italy. It was the pack I have now, two more men, a human, and my parents as well as my grandparents. We were like our own little village. Eventually, a friend of my father's contacted us and told us of how the Alpha of the Northern Mexico Pack killed a wolf form the New Mexico Pack. The two packs were in war with each other when the Northern Mexico Pack started losing.

"The Alpha of the Northern Mexico Pack was a very tough man. Many wolves feared him and many wolves wouldn't dare speak out at him during Pack Meetings. It wasn't too much of a surprise when he ran to the Volturi and convinced them to assist him in his fight against the New Mexico Pack. In our eyes if you call in the help of a Cold One during a fight, you are breaking a forbidden law.

"The Northern Mexico Pack was banished from the Pack Meetings, and it was against the law to associate with them. Of course, that didn't stop the Packs that were curious about Cold Ones to stop trying. Eventually, a pack up in Alaska successfully had contact with him, and they became allies.

"Northern Mexico has a grudge against the other packs, and any of the smaller packs who feel like they're being cheated out by the system as well as any of Northern Mexico's allies wouldn't waste a second to join sides with him." Asha fiddled nervously with her hands.

"Northern Mexico plans on killing off every pack and then forming a new pack where he's the alpha. He wants to try and push you out of this land and trick you into joining forces with him. Or at least, that's what we all assumed, but Northern Mexico took a plane flight to Brazil to meet up with some Packs over in Rio de Janeiro and was never heard from again. Nobody knows if he's still there or if he's on the run, but a lot of fighting is still going on because of him."

"He's a coward." Jacob spat angrily. "He's the kind of man that would get a bunch of people riled up over something he did and then run away with his tail between his legs the minute something happens."

Asha raised an eyebrow as the alpha's hands began to shake. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know you're angry, but–"

"Angry? I'm fucking livid! That sonuvabitch thinks he can just push me off of my land!"

"Jacob, you have to remember that this isn't just your land. Q'wati made this the land for every pack to be able to go. He made La Push a place where two packs at war could meet and not have to worry about having trickery or deceit."

"Why didn't anyone tell us about the war?"

"Your pack is a baby pack. There are packs that have been around for centuries and the oldest member in your pack is only 30. They didn't want such a young pack to be driven into the war especially if they were living on tribal ground. We are the first pack that thought to inform you."

"But why now?"

"You're one of the strongest alphas I have ever met, and you're not even done maturing yet. By the time you fully mature, you could possibly the strongest Male Alpha in the world, Jake. There are rumors going around about you that you're going to be the next Great Alpha Male."

"I thought the Great Alpha Male was dead and was never going to return again." Jacob muttered suddenly feeing very fed up with all this Pack War business.

"Not dead, he's simply missing," Asha shrugged nonchalantly. "The point is you tip the scales. The minute you chose what side you're on… well its pretty much game over."

"I don't see the big deal about me. I'm just a kid."

"You and your pack killed an army of newborns before the oldest member was even at the age of twenty-five. If you did that as a baby pack, imagine what you can do now."

[Insert Line]

Paul sniffed the air lazily mentally cringing as he caught a whiff of beer and smoke. His asshole of a father was home again. The wolf mentally prepared himself to walk into a war zone of fat drunk men playing poker while his mother slaved over them. It was the same exact story every night. Half the reservation knew what kind of phony ass hat Paul's father was, yet nobody did anything. They were all a bunch of no good–

"Paul, hurry up and shut the door before you let all that damn cold air inside. You fellas see my no good son. He thinks he's all tough because he went out and joined a lousy street gang."

Paul flinched at the sound of his father's voice, and he wasted no time in shutting the door. The wolf warily glanced over at his father who was currently staring down a blonde man that had a bigger stomach than a seven-month pregnant woman. Paul had never seen this mysterious man, but he was positive that as long as that man was associating himself with Paul's father then Paul would rather not get to know him.

"Hey, son," Mr. Meraz called out to his son loudly, "get me and Mr. Smith here a beer. And hurry it up."

Paul wished he could tell his father to fuck off and get his own damn beer, but he couldn't. He simply couldn't look that man in the eye without getting scared. Sure, the wolf mentally killed himself every time he cowered whenever his father would walk by, but could you blame him? He spent sixteen years of his life getting knocked around by that sonuvabitch. So Paul did what anyone else would do… he lowered his head and got that sonuvabitch his goddamn beer.

Mr. Meraz's greedy eyes followed his son as Paul made his way up to his room, and since Mr. Meraz was clearly deciding that today would be a good day to piss his son off he leaned over the sofa and called out:

"While your up there, bring your mother back down."

Paul froze on the steps; his hand resting on the wooden railing and his eyes wide. Paul usually kept a calm composure, but that bastard never asked Paul to go get his mother. The only times he did that were when he wanted to knock her around a bit or… No, no, no, no! He wouldn't dare do that with a _guest_ in the house. Would he?

"Goddamn it do you hear me! I told you to go get your mother!"

What was Paul going to do? In all honesty, his father was in decent shape and stood at a solid 7 feet 4 inches. That was a half a foot taller than Paul. On top of that, his father worked out. If you didn't know any better, one would say that his father was a shape shifter in another lifetime. Hell, his father could still probably knock Paul unconscious.

He didn't want to….

He would swear up until the day he died that he didn't want to…

But it came down to his mother's pain vs. his pain…

Oh God, he didn't want to…

But now it was too late and he would have to lie in his bed as he listened to those sounds. He would have to just sit there and listen to those two creeps with his mother.

One day, Paul was going to kill that sonuvabitch he called a father. He swore to God he would…


	8. Chapter 8

_When the Great Alphas found Bayaq, he was sitting in a tree worrying over the problems his prank had caused. He had been hiding from Q'wati in fear that Q'wati would banish him from tribal lands. When he expressed his concerns to the Great Alphas, they decided that they would help Bayaq. They said that if Bayaq were to help them kill the Cold Ones, they would assure that he would not be removed off their lands. Reassured by the Great Alphas promise, Bayaq instructed them on how to kill the Cold Ones. "When you attack them," he said, "rip them apart and burn the pieces before they can reassemble themselves, but be careful! One bite is enough to kill even the strongest of wolves in your pack."_

It was midnight. Ordinarily, the Alpha Male and Female would have been asleep trying to allow their bodies time to regenerate from the time they spent talking to each other throughout the night, but this was no ordinary night. Leah, who was on patrol with Kato, had seen a leech break through the borders. Currently, Sam and Paul were with the wolves trying to alert any wolves who were unaware of the news while catching up with their pack mate.

Jacob leapt off the back step phasing mid-air. Behind him, Asha followed his lead, and together the two rushed through the woods. They ran swiftly through the trees leaping over fallen logs and ducking under low branches. In a short amount of time, they had caught up with Leah and Kato.

Jacob ordered Sam to take his left flank while Leah took his right. He wanted Paul to go find Collin and Brady and have them circle around, and try to trap the leech from the front. Most importantly, he wanted them to _stick together_. Paul gave a mental salute to his alpha before phasing out.

Asha quickly called Kato to her side at the same moment that Antaeus and Dilwyn phased in. Asha's pack immediately moved so they blended in with the mix of wolves rushing towards the Cold One. Asha ordered Antaeus to go with Paul and stick with Collin and Brady in case they met the Cold One before the rest of the wolves made it to them. Antaeus snorted in acknowledgement and quickly hurried off.

Leah pushed herself faster, so that she was a slight step ahead of Jake while Seth struggled to keep up with their new pace. Behind them, Sam was ordering the other wolves on where to go, and what to do while Asha sent a few wolves of her own with them.

Eventually, all that was left was Asha, Leah, Jacob, Seth, and Amory. The five kept silent taking notes from their pack mates on when the leech was changing position and how he was moving.

Kato was the first wolf to see the Cold One, and he froze mid-step as he recognized the Cold One. His body shook out of rage, and his eyes began to see red as he remembered the face of the Cold One that killed Aden.

Asha cursed loudly and began to tighten her mental hold on Kato. She tightened her grip until she had him bound by an invisible leash, but that still wasn't strong enough. Kato was getting too out of control, too unstable.

With a sudden burst of strength, Kato broke Asha's hold and headed towards the Cold One. He was going to kill this leech. He was going to personally rip it apart bit-by-bit until it was begging for mercy. He was going to listen to his alpha! Asha's thoughts broke through Kato's as she struggled to regain her hold on him. The older wolf collapsed to the ground from the weight the command, and his body released a violent tremor before he returned to his human form.

Asha made Amory head over to Kato while she continued to run with the La Push pack. When Amory made it to Kato, she focused on the hunt.

Paul had located the leech, and he and Sam were closing in. Jacob nodded his massive head before gaining speed leaving Leah, Asha, and Seth alone. The three wolves managed to maintain a steady pace as they headed through the trees navigating the rest of the pack.

Up ahead, Collin had managed to take lucky hit at the leech momentarily knocking it off balance. At the same moment, Brady had clamped his teeth around the leech's arm easily ripping it out of the socket. Howling in pain, the Cold One made a wild dash towards a group of trees but stopped when Asha, Leah, and Seth approached him.

"I have a message for you." He hissed backing away slowly. Leah raised an eyebrow as she gave him a warning growl. The she-wolf wasn't in the mood to play games tonight. "You're Beta Female and sister, Neima, wishes to see you again." Asha let out a warning growl of her own before approaching the vampire cautiously.

"The Arizona Alpha is waiting for you, Asha."

* * *

><p><strong>Apologies for the short chapter… the next one will be longer.<strong>

**~B**


	9. Chapter 9

_The Great Alpha Male and Great Alpha Female took their newly acquired knowledge and spread among the wolves and their people. They kept wolves stationed at various spots along the reservation while their people evacuated. The Alphas were tense. They knew a great battle was coming and they knew that many of their wolves wouldn't make it, but they were ready to make a sacrifice. One life to save a thousand lives. It was by this saying that gave them strength to stand and face their enemy. It gave them the strength to battle the Cold Ones._

"That sick bastard!" The Alpha Female was livid. How dare that disgrace of a wolf think he could just taunt her like that? And to send a Cold One to relay the mesage as if she wasn't worthy of his time… She would show him. She would make him regret the day he laid eyes on Neima.

"Asha, calm down." Jacob's voice made her muscles relax and eyes flutter closed. He placed a large hand on her shoulder. "You're no help if you're angry."

"He has my sister, Jake." She arched her back as she felt Jacob's warm hands slip around her waist. "How do you expect me to react?"

Jacob let out a lazy huff before pulling her closer to his body so her back was resting on his chest. He gently placed his lips on her neck enjoying the feel of her smooth skin.

"But we have an advantage." He murmured leading her towards his room. "We have two packs, and he only has one. Just relax Asha."

* * *

><p>Seth lay sprawled out on Charlie's bed watching her as she danced and twirled around the room in beat to the music. She stopped mid-twirl to wink at Seth before continuing her performance. As the music picked up speed so did she increasing the complexity of the moves.<p>

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you look while dancing?" Seth asked. He moved over on the bed and patted the spot next to him for Charles to sit.

"You only tell me every day." She said as she climbed in the bed. "You also tell me how much you love me."

Seth pouted as he looked at Charlie. "Are you sure I tell you how much I love you?"

"Every day!"

"Did I tell you today?" he squinted hard as if he was struggling to remember something.

"I don't think so," Charlie frowned a little bit deciding to play along with her boyfriend. "I mean… How much do you love me?"

Seth bit his lip as he looked into Charlie's eyes. "I love you so much that I wouldn't even trade you for cookies. Even if they were chocolate chips."

"I'm worth more to you than your chocolate chip cookies?" She asked batting her eyelashes.

"Of course you are." He wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, Charles." Seth pressed his lips against hers.

"What do you love about me?" She whispered against his lips.

"I love your smile, your dimples, and your dorky laugh, how you love to dance and sing how you have that gap in your teeth, your eyes, your hair, your body… I love everything about you. You don't know how lucky I feel right now."

Charlie kissed him again. "I think I know how you feel. After all, I am lying in the arms of a gorgeous guy that I love with all my heart."

* * *

><p>Kato had his arms wrapped his legs as he stared out of the window. Somewhere in these woods Aden's spirit was wandering out there. It pained him to think of her. It caused his soul to ache. His chest clenched painfully, and the old wolf gasped in shock. Downstairs, he could hear Leah pause in talking to Bali. He forced himself to regulate his breathing, and he could hear Leah return to Bali. Thinking of Bali only reminded him of the absence of Aden.<p>

Kato closed his eyes and buried his head in his hands. He couldn't even look at his own son without breaking down. What kind of a wolf was he? He was a burden to his pack and to his alpha. It would be better if he just died. Then he could be with her…

The wolf shook his head to clear such depressing thoughts. He needed to relax. His head ached and his heart felt like it would give out at any second.

Aden.

He took a shaky breath as he imagined her in his mind. He pictured her short black hair. He imagined him running his fingers through it as she slept beside him. He pictured his fingers tracing the curves of her body and holding her in his arms. He pictured him running beside her as a wolf his dark grey fur brushing against her snow white fur.

Without meaning to his mind reached out for hers but was only met with an empty space. Kato's eyes flew open, and he quickly snatched his mind back.

He was only driving himself into insanity by allowing himself to hallucinate about her. But that last one… it was so lifelike… it left him craving more.

* * *

><p>Paul rolled his eyes as a light skinned curly haired broad yelled at him in her scratchy voice. He folded his massive arms across his chest trying not to look as bored as he felt. He really didn't want to lose this broad; she was great in bed, after all.<p>

"Jen, I said I was sorry. How many times do I have to apologize?" Paul fought the urge to smirk at Jen's shocked facial expression. "It wasn't like I slept with fourteen other girls."

"You slept with my sister you jackass!" Jen tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder as she sneered at Paul's cocky expression. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Paul frowned and stood up so that he was standing over her. Jen tried to take a step back, but Paul's hands were on her waist holding her so that she couldn't move. "Listen, I like you and I want you, alright." Paul allowed his eyes to roam her body, and she rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you just go to my sister like you did last time?"

"She's not the same." Paul pressed his lips against hers to stop her from talking. He moved so that he had her pressed up against the wall before he allowed his hands to roam her body. "I want you."

"Paul, stop. Paul. God damn it, Paul!"

But he wasn't listening. He was just having too much fun. His left hand slipped under her shirt while the other was up her skirt. He kissed her again, rougher this time. He paused for a moment before whispering in her ear. "Just one more time?"

"Paul. Stop."

He smirked and bit her gently on the neck. "You don't mean that do you?"

Jen bit her lip and Paul moved so that her legs were wrapped around him. "C'mon, babe," he pleaded. "One last time."

* * *

><p>Collin and Brady stared at Paul as he walked around Uley living room. His chest was puffed out a little bit and he was wearing that cocky lil' smirk of his. Collin gave a knowing look to Brady and the best friends shook their head. It was no secret that Paul got laid last night. And what were they doing? Running patrols.<p>

"It's not fair that all the older guys get all the action and the younger guys have to stay behind and run patrols." Collin complained. "I have at least half of the freshman class wanting some of this. What am I gonna do, leave them craving all of this?"

"Collin, calm down." Brady muttered brushing some dirt off his sneakers. "I'm sure that tonight we won't have to run patrols, and we can go to that junior party with Quil and Embry."

"I thought Quil and Embry were running patrols tonight?"

"No, that's Jacob and Seth."

Collin shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly just grateful for the night off. He glanced around the living room eyeing the members of Asha's pack warily. Antaeus was cleaning his teeth with a toothpick while watching Kato. Asha and Jake were whispering to each other not even trying to hide their affection for one another. Talk about disgusting.

"Is everyone here?" Jacob asked allowing his eyes to sweep over the room. "Where's Leah and Bali?"

"Right here!" Leah burst into the room holding a sleeping Bali in her arms. "We went out for a run." She handed Bali to his Uncle Antaeus before takign a seat next to her younger brother.

"So, we're here to devise a game plan for getting Neima back." Jacob announced cracking his knuckles. "Collin and Brady, you two will stay here to make sure that everything's OK."

Collin opened his mouth to argue, but one look from Jacob silenced the younger wolf.

"Young Alpha, are you sure you want to do this?" Dilwyn asked nervously looking at the La Push Pack. "You are aware that if you do this then you'll be dragged into this war."

"Jacob and I have discussed this, and he is ready to assist us in the Pack War." Asha spoke with authority and Dilwyn shrunk down in his seat.

"We don't know what we're dealing with." Kato mentioned. "We don't know what the place looks like or how we're going to get in undetected. And if we go in blind, we'll probably get killed."

"What do you suppose we do?"


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter is dedicated to Leah my favorite wolf. Enjoy!**

**~B**

* * *

><p><em>Many wolves lost their lives in that battle, but the Quileute warriors fought on. They took out each Cold One until the monsters were forced to retreat back to the East. The fight ended, but the Great Alphas were weak. They were unable to shift forms and they were too tired to move their limbs. Q'wati swept his wolves into his arms praising them for their bravery, and together with Bayaq and the Thunderbird they carried the two Great Alphas up the highest mountain.<em>

Her paws hit the ground in a steady rhythm. She pushed herself to run faster as if she could escape the emotions that tied her to the La Push Alpha. Her heart beat against her ribcage with such force that she was amazed that it hadn't leap out of her chest. If her pack mates were here, they would assume that her heart was beating so loud from the exercise, but only she would know what really caused it. Only she would know that it was _his_ smile that could cause her heart rate to increase.

The she wolf shook her massive head to clear her thoughts. She couldn't risk having such thoughts about the La Push Alpha – her alpha! Leah forced herself to swerve to the right heading off the path that she usually took and forcing her further away from her pack.

It was illogical to even be fantasizing about _him_ right now, not when he was so into the _other_ Alpha Female. Leah's lips formed into a tight line when she thought about Asha. It seemed like no matter what Leah did there was always someone that Jake loved more than her.

* * *

><p>Jacob slowly rubbed circles into the palm of Asha's hand watching Seth and Paul struggle to beat each other in a rather vicious round of Mario Kart. Seth finished his second lap pulling ahead of Paul causing the older wolf to curse loudly and pound on the little 'A' button with an intense fury. The two exchanged several threats before Paul managed to knock Seth off of the track in time for the older wolf to cross the finish line.<p>

"You cheated!" Seth cried throwing his remote onto the sofa. "There was no possible way you could've won that without cheating."

"Don't be a sore loser, pup." Paul replied as he stood up. "Besides, not everyone can be as good at Mario Kart as I am."

"But I was winning the whole last lap!" Seth stood up coming at eye level with Paul.

"What's wrong, pup?" Paul snorted at Seth's furious expression. "You want a rematch."

"Hey, where's Leah?" Asha asked noticing the absence of the La Push Pack's Alpha Female. "I haven't seen her all day."

Jacob shrugged nonchalantly as Paul and Seth started up another race. "She's probably just out having some time to herself. She does that when she feels like she needs a break. I'm sure she'll will be back by tomorrow."

"That's a long time to be out alone for a wolf." Asha noted glancing towards the TV.

"Not if you're Leah." Paul cut in as he launched a red turtle shell at Seth inspiring the Beta to swear loudly. "She does this at least once a week."

"You're not concerned for her?" Asha asked looking in disbelief towards Jake. "She could be dead or worse!"

"Hey, don't worry about Leah. She's strong and she can handle herself." Jacob grasped Asha's face in his hands, so she was looking him in the eye. "Nothing will happen to her."

"How can you be sure, Jake? These are dangerous times for shape-shifters."

"Seth," Jacob looked towards the younger wolf and jerked his heads towards the back door to his house. "Go and find Leah. Make sure she's alright."

"But Jake, I'm _winning_!"

"Seth."

The Beta frowned, but dropped his Wii remote and headed towards the door. "You owe me, Jake."

* * *

><p>Leah lay on her back in the sand watching the stars. She could picture Jake lying next to her both of them lying in silence as they pointed out the various constellations. It would be like how it was before Asha came back when Leah might've had a chance with the Alpha.<p>

The she wolf sighed and closed her eyes. Life wasn't easy. She already had one love wrenched out of her arms by Fate and now when Life handed her another love Fate swept in and took that one as well. It was like she was destined to be alone for the rest of her. She might as well start adopting cats.

"Hey Lee-Lee." Leah's eyes fluttered open surprised to see her brother standing next to her. He was wearing nothing but his khaki shorts indicating that he just phased, and he was breathing pretty heavy. "You went really far this time, huh? I sprinted the whole way here. Can I sit?" Without waiting for a reply Seth settled down next to his sister lying down on his back as well.

"You never follow me when I leave." Leah whispered still trying to grasp the fact that her brother was here next to her.

"Yeah well we were all getting pretty worried. Paul, Jake, and Asha sent me because you were gone for a while."

Leah snorted when she heard Asha's name. "The Alpha of that other pack was worried about me? She seems like she would only be worried about her pack and Jake."

"She cares about us, Lee. Believe it or not, but she's a really nice person."

"Figures. She has you brainwashed too." Leah turned her head away from her brother and Seth sighed opting to change the subject.

"Did I tell you that I was going to propose to Charlie?" Seth asked quietly.

"What?" Leah rolled over so she was facing Seth. "You're only a junior in high school why the hell are you thinking about marriage?"

"Because I love her, Lee, I love her so much that it's crazy, and I want to be with her forever." Seth smiled his white teeth standing out in the darkness of the night. "I figured that once this whole rescue-Asha's-sister-thing is over I'll tell her everything."

"What if she doesn't believe you?" Leah whispered.

"Then I'll prove it, but I love her too much to let her go."

"Yeah, well, what about imprinting? What are you going to do then?"

"Well, Aden and Kato were with each other for almost two hundred years and neither of them imprinted so I asked Asha about it – don't give me that look Leah! Anyways, I asked Asha and she said that two people that aren't imprinted can become mates with this tribal ritual thing and _bam_ no imprinting will ever happen."

"What if she doesn't accept you when she finds out that you're a wolf?"

"She will… I know she will."

"Yeah, what if she doesn't? What if she thinks you're a monster, and she won't go anywhere near you?"

"Don't-don't say that Lee." Seth closed his eyes as if he were in pain, and Leah's eyes softened.

"Just don't get your hopes up little brother. Sometimes you think things will last forever, and they won't. Maybe she's just a seasonal thing instead of a forever type thing."

Seth stayed silent for a while playing with the sand before he spoke again, "Maybe she is a forever type thing and if I wait to imprint then it's messing up a great thing I have. What if Life is giving me something and is telling me to hurry up and run before Fate comes and screws it up."

"It doesn't matter what Life hands you; Fate will _always_ mess it up."

"Not this time Lee-Lee." Seth shook his head. "I'm making sure that it won't happen this time."

"That's funny... That's what Sam said to me before he imprinted on Emily."


End file.
